Why It Was Worth It to Me to Have My Dog Get Gastropexy Surgery
Key takeaways:
Standard poodles are among the large dog breeds at heightened risk of bloat.
When a dog gets bloat, his stomach twists, cutting off oxygen and blood flow. It’s an emergency situation.
A preventive procedure called gastropexy can make sense for some pets and their families.
I’ve been a poodle lover all my life. I adopted my first toy poodle, Redwood, soon after I graduated from college.
I always knew that I eventually wanted the big version: a standard poodle. But because I lived in a small apartment in Washington, D.C., the timing never felt right.
Then, during the pandemic, I moved back to Pennsylvania, where I grew up. Suddenly, I had a large, fenced-in yard and a much more spacious house. In November 2020, I drove 5 hours each way to pick up a standard poodle puppy from a breeder recommended by a veterinarian I trusted. It was love at first sight. I named him Story, and we were immediately attached like glue. I knew I would do everything in my power to keep him safe and give him a long, healthy life.
Standard poodles are a dog breed with a high risk of bloat
Before I brought Story home, I did a lot of research about standard poodles. I also joined breed-specific Facebook groups. I learned that large dogs — like standard poodles, Great Danes, German shepards, and Irish setters — are at increased risk of gastric dilatation-volvulus, commonly known as bloat.
That’s different from the annoying stomach bloating a human might experience. When a dog gets bloat, his “stomach becomes dilated and distended due to an accumulation of gas or fluid and then rotates around its small axis [volvulus], trapping the gas or fluid inside,” as the AKC Canine Health Foundation puts it. That prevents blood and oxygen from reaching the stomach. It requires emergency treatment and can be fatal. Bloat kills at least 30% of affected dogs within hours, even after intensive treatment.
As I scrolled through my Facebook groups, I saw too many posts mourning dogs that had died of bloat. Many were young, sometimes just a couple of years old. Their owners were devastated, and my heart broke as I read about each loss. I felt desperate to protect my dog.
A surgery called gastropexy can lower the risk of bloat
First, I learned the signs of bloat: A dog’s abdomen will become visibly enlarged, and he might start retching and drooling. Many dogs become restless, and they whine if you press on their stomach. It’s unclear exactly what causes bloat, but eating and drinking too fast can play a role, as can exercising after a meal. I printed a list of these symptoms and taped it to my refrigerator. I also highlighted the phone number of the closest emergency vet.
As I was doing my research, I discovered that there’s a preventive operation that can significantly lower the risk of bloat. It’s called gastropexy, and it essentially tacks the stomach to the right side of the body, holding it in place so it can’t twist. Veterinarians often recommend it for deep-chested breeds that are at heightened risk of bloat. One study found that after a dog has gastropexy, his lifetime risk of bloat drops to 0.3%.
When I called around to find a veterinarian for Story, I asked each one if they performed gastropexy. Not everyone did. I finally found a vet I liked. When we met, I learned he had performed many gastropexies. I also made sure he thought Story was a good candidate for the operation. Despite everything I had read online, I would never proceed with a surgery that my vet didn’t think was necessary. He said he would absolutely recommend it for Story. At the time, Story weighed about 50 lbs, and he already had a very large chest. Both factors made him a good candidate for gastropexy.
I knew my dog was in good hands on operation day
Many vets like to do the gastropexy procedure at the same time that a dog is spayed or neutered. That way, the animal has to endure only one operation. I waited until Story was almost 2 years old, and then I scheduled both operations. Before the big day, he had a full panel of blood work done to make sure he was healthy and that there were no red flags that could complicate surgery. Everything came back normal.
On August 25, 2022, I dropped Story off at the vet at 7AM. I was told he would be ready to come home sometime that evening. Our vet did the surgery laparoscopically to reduce the invasiveness, and Story was under anesthesia. I missed him and worried about him the entire day, but I knew he was in good hands. I occupied myself by making some nice, soft beds for him covered with old sheets, in case he had post-op bleeding or oozing.
At 6PM, I went to the vet’s office to bring my favorite boy home. I waited in the parking lot as a very sleepy Story was carried to the car. My heart soared when I saw him, and I sat in the back of the car with my arm around him.
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Why was the surgery worth it? My peace of mind
When Story came home, he had a big incision on his stomach with a row of stitches, and his belly area had been shaved. He was exhausted and slept for a couple of days straight. The vet issued a few recovery rules: Story was supposed to be kept as calm as possible for a couple of weeks, with no running or jumping. That was challenging because he’s very energetic. But I kept him entertained with inside toys and lots of attention.
Story wore a large human-size T-shirt for 2 weeks to help protect his incision wound. And during those 2 weeks, he wore a giant cone around his neck, which he found annoying. And he was sent home with pain medication, which he took for 10 days. But none of that stopped my happy boy from enjoying his life. His recovery from his neutering and the gastropexy went smoothly. Within about a week, he was back to normal, as though he hadn’t been operated on at all. When he went back to the vet for a 1-week post-op checkup, they said he was doing great and healing as planned.
Gastropexy isn’t right for everyone. For one thing, it’s expensive. It cost me $1,400, which isn’t feasible for all pet owners. And not every large dog is at heightened risk of bloat. Still, after talking it over with our vet, I felt confident that it was the right decision for Story.
But it gives me peace of mind. I’m a worrier by nature, so I always watch for bloat. Story’s risk is now much lower than it would have been. He’s about to turn 4 and is a goofy, playful, loving companion. I’m glad this procedure is available and was accessible — for both my sake and Story’s.
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